North Americans as a whole are serious consumers of everything material which our landfill sites and our extended, overweight bellies can attest to. I’m not sure if it is just me (perhaps I have become overly sensitized) but I don’t recall seeing so much in-your-face consumerism as we have seen here in Houston. Everywhere we go in this city we come across one shopping complex after another sandwiched by smaller shopping districts and I have to wonder how all the stores, businesses and restaurants are sustained. There is construction everywhere and new highways rising up to endless levels throughout the city and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Gee, what do you think is the cause; the fact that it is “the” oil state or the fact that the country’s current president is from here?

Regardless, Houston is a huge city with plenty of green space amidst the concrete and pavement and we are certainly enjoying exploring it. We are always greeted with warm, friendly faces and folks seem to be super nice and welcoming. This is not our first experience with Texans and perhaps their hospitality is why we keep coming back.

Today we visited the suburb of Katy, just on the western perimeter of Houston and an easy drive from the park. We explored the Katy Mills Outlet Mall, another vast shopping experience (they really do everything so BIG here) and then we drove through George Bush Park where there is a huge, true-to-Texas, American Shooting Center. We drove back through residential neighbourhoods, past sprawling schools and along perfectly manicured boulevards (and of course by more stores, restaurants and shopping centers).

When we returned to the park we walked around for a while (though at Katy Mills we’d already walked for miles) and took some pictures of the park using Rick’s camera. The weather all day was partially cloudy though plenty warm, 27°C (81°F), which with the humidex felt like 31°C (88°F) and was a stark contrast from the weekend. We loved it!